Valved floor drain



June '17, 1941. H, SMITH VALVED moon. DRAIN Filed Sept. 21, 1939 M M m wx w m M W 2 Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED r STATES PATENT OFFICEApplication September 2(1(,g N0. 295,874

5 Claims.

each of those of which applicant has knowledge,

some serious obstacle to successful, practical, or economical use isinvolved. Thus various attempts have been made to incorporate anautomatic valve in connection with a drain wherein the valve operates onthe check valve principle, being suspended freely below a valve openingand adapted to be raised to closed position by back water pressure inthe drain pipe. Since most of the valves of this type operate ontheprinciple of a valve float their action is not posi-' tive, andbecause they work against gravity and are subject to sticking, asthrough accumulation of rust and the like, they have not provedsatisfactory. Various types of positive valves have also been developedfor this purpose, but these have generallybeen quite complicated inconstruction, and hence expensiveto, manufacture and install.

It is therefore the primary object, of this invention to provide a noveland simple valve construction for use with a floor drain.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein thecover for the drain bowl or cup is fixedly-secured to said bowl or cup,whereby the cover may carry pressure applying means associated with avalve member adapted to be applied against the outlet of the bowl orcup.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein avalve member has a rockable connection with an operating or pressureapplying member, so that the valve member is free to assume an operativesealing position in relation to the outlet of the drain, which, beinggenerally formed of cast metal, is subject to irregularities.

A further object is to provide a device of this character including apositive action valve wherein all the parts thereof are normallypositioned Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the devicetaken on line l--l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modifiedconstruction of the device.

, Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodimentof the invention, the numeral ll designates a bowl or housing which isadapted to be set in the floor with its upper edge substantially flushwith or slightly below the surface of the floor. At its center the bowlhas an opening ll defined by a cylindrical projecting portion l2 whichis adapted for connection with a drain pipe or sewer pipe ii in anydesirable or suitable manner. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1,an upwardly projecting annular rib I4 is formed at the margin of thebowl opening H for purposes to be hereinafter set forth.

A cover plate 15 provided with suitable drain apertunes It fits on aninteriorly projecting flange ll of bowl Ill adjacent the upper end ofthe bowl. Cover I5 is adapted to be fixedlysecured to place on flange I1by means of screws or other securing members l8. Cover l5 has a sleeveis formed integral therewith centrally thereof and depending therefrom.Ribs 20 serve to reinforce said plate and sleeve. An interiorly screwthreaded opening 2! is formed centrally in plate I5 and extends throughsleeve It), said opening 2| preferably being axially aligned withopening H.

A shaft 22 is screw threaded in opening 2| and i is provided at itslower end with a ball 23. The

upper end of shaft 22 is provided with a socket 24 into which a suitabletool may be inserted for 5 rotating the shaft.

at or below the level of the floor and of the upper surface of the coverplate of the floor drain.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and appended claims.

In the drawing:

A valve head 25 is provided with a socket member 25 at its upper endadapted to fit around ball 23. As illustrated in Fig. 1, valve head 25terminates in a substantially flat plate portion 21 having asubstantially flat lower surface. A comparatively thin sheet of rubber,artificial rubber, such as Duprene or Neoprene", or some other suitableyielding material adapted for sealing purposes, is fixedly secured tothe lower flat face of valve head 25. The size of the lower portion 21of the valve head and of the sealing member 28 is slightly greater thanthe diameter of the marginal ridge ll of the bowl.

It will be seen from the above that when shaft 22 is rotated to forcethe same downwardly, valve member 25 will be positively pressed andforced against ridge ll of the bowl Ill. The bowl I0 is usually formedof cast metal and hence is subject to irregularities and inaccuracies ofmanufacture. This is partly compensated for by the resilient or yieldingcharacter of the sealing material 28. However, in the event ofinaccuracies or irregularities which are greater than those which theelasticity of material It may readily compensate for, the ball andsocket connection between shaft 22 and valve head 25 comes into play. Infact, the combination of the universal joint connection between theshaft and valve head with the elastic character of the sealing facemember 28 serves to provide a positive seal for opening I l with minimumdeforming or compressing of member 28, thereby serving to increase theeffective life of the material 28.

The shaft is preferably of such length that when the valve is urged intosealing position thereby the upper end of the shaft will be positionedat or below the level of the upper end of the plate I, and when thevalve has been opened the shaft will not project above the upper surfaceof plate IE to any material extent. In this way danger that the devicemay constitute an obstacle over which a person might stumble is entirelyavoided, and a substantially fiush surface is provided at all times. Atthe same time the provision of the tool socket 24 in the upper shaft endprovides means whereby the valve may be readily and convenientlyactuated.

A slightly modified construction is illustrated in Fig. 3. Themodification exists essentially in the shape of the valve head 30, whichis of part spherical formation so that the shape of the resilientsealing member 3| thereof is substantially curved or rounded. Theconstruction in all other respects is the same as in the preferredembodiment and the same reference numerals are applied.

The principal advantage of this modified construction is that the ridgell of the preferred embodiment may be entirely eliminated, thus avoidingthe necessity of having some water standing in the bowl III to the levelof the ridge H, as occurs in the preferred embodiment; This is achievedby virtue of the curved shape of the valve head on a small radius thanthe bowl curvature so that the valve head may extend slightly intooutlet opening I I of the bowl, while its outer marginal portionprojects outwardly of the opening II and above the adjacent portion ofthe bowl It; thus preventing interference from the bowl to the solidseating of the valve head, which is not possible with a fiat valve. Thesame ball and socket connection 23, 28 between the shaft 22 and head 3|!are provided to give the ad vantage of self-seating of the valve headfor compensation with irregularities and inaccuracies of the bowl I0.

I claim:

1. In a valved floor drain, a perforated cover plate adapted to befixedly secured to the upper end of a cup-shaped drain bowl, said platehaving a downwardly projecting internally screw threaded collar integraltherewith, a shaft threaded in said collar with its upper end normallypositioned at or below the upper face of said plate, and a valve memberhaving a universal joint connection with-the lower end of said shaft.

2. In combination, a floor drain bowl having an outlet communicatingwith a drain pipe, an apertured cover fixedly secured to said bowl, avalve member adapted to seal said outlet, and

operating means carried by said cover for pressing said valve in sealingrelation to said outlet, said means having a. ball and socket jointconnection with said valve,

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said valve has a'roundedsealing surface.

4. The combination with a floor drain having a cup-shaped housing withan outlet at its lower end for communication with a. sewer, of anapertured plate covering the open end of said housing and securedthereto, a shaft threaded in said plate in axial alignment with saidoutlet, and a valve member carried by said shaft and adapted to sealsaid outlet, said valve member having a ball and socket connection withsaid shaft to positively seat at said outlet and to accommodate "itselfto irregularities of said outlet.

5.In combination, a floor drain bowl having an outlet adapted to beconnected with a drain pipe, a valve member adapted to seal said outlet,operating means carried by a fixed part of said bowl and having a balland socket connection with said valve for pressing said valve in sealingrelation to said outlet.

ZACHARY HARRY SMITH.

